Primary Admissions – Bishop Mackenzie International School

Admissions Procedure

As an IB school, BMIS is an inclusive educational environment and welcomes students from a variety of educational backgrounds. Applications for admission are accepted throughout the year. Families seeking admission for their child should make an appointment with the Head Teacher. Students are eligible for admission if there are places available and the school can meet their particular needs. All candidates will take a school assessment before admission. Students with learning difficulties may be admitted if their needs can be met by the school’s Education Support programme or local support services, and the students can be placed in the regular classroom.

Admittance of students who are physically, mentally or emotionally challenged will only be accepted at the discretion of the Head Teacher. Should admittance be granted, the situation would be subject to a termly review. Students whose native language is not English must take an oral and/or written assessment to determine whether they can be admitted. Limited assistance in English as a Second Language is available if the instruction in this area is beyond that which can be reasonably provided by the class and subject teachers.

The Application Process

Placement

Placement of all students will be made on the basis of their previous records and the initial assessment of the school. Initial class placement is tentative and the school may advise a change of class after the student’s abilities have been thoroughly assessed. As a guideline, the optimum number of students for all classes is 24 except Reception where there the optimum number is 20.

Preferential Admission

In circumstances where class sizes are at or over the optimum numbers stated above, preferential admission will be given to students whose parents find themselves in Lilongwe by virtue of their employment. Such cases include, but are not limited to, diplomats posted to Malawi, expatriates recruited to Malawi as TEP holders (including teachers at BMIS), and Malawians relocated by employers to Lilongwe from other parts of Malawi.

Application Process

After an initial inquiry, parents of prospective students are sent or given an application form and a list of required documentation. All school reports, confidential teacher reports and other documentation must be received prior to scheduling an appointment, except in rare circumstances. An appointment will be made for the student to undergo an assessment, initially with a member of the Educational Support Department. When the completed application form and all the required documents are received and a place can be offered, a confirmation letter will be sent or given to the parents. Following the admissions assessment, it may take approximately three days to complete enrollment procedures and make final preparations for the student.

Age of admission

The age of admission for year groups in the school is based on the child’s age on the 31st of August in the academic year of admission.

Pre-K – 4 years
Kindergarten – 5 years
Grade 1 – 6 years
Grade 2 – 7 years
Grade 3 – 8 years
Grade 4 – 9 years
Grade 5 -10 years

Questions?

registrar@bmis.mw

0111 - 756 - 631 or 0111 - 756 - 364

Apply to BMIS